Vithawat is a conveniently located gym (more on that below) that’s perfect for dropping in, smashing pads and getting a quick workout.

The gym itself is quite small and the training area consists of a matted area and a few bags (no ring). They do however have very nice shower facilities available for use in the house on the property.

For a small, relatively unknown gym, they have a talented roster of trainers working here. According to their Facebook fan page, Rungrit T.Anusorn (Berm) is training students here and he is a multiple time lumpinee champion who used to work at Tiger Muay Thai.

Sirimonkol PK Stereo is another former stadium champion (both lumpinee and rajadamnern) working as a trainer here as well.

Location

Vithawat Muay Thai is located on the Sathorn district of Bangkok. It’s centrally located and within walking distance from the Chong Nonsi sky train (BTS) station. The exact address of the gym is as follows..

94 Soi Prapinij, Sathorn Rd., Bangkok, Thailand 10120
Phone: 081 407 1993

Accommodation

This is more of a drop in gym rather than a camp so they don’t have on-site accommodation available. With their central, sky train accessible location though, finding a nearby hotel or apartment on your own and commuting to the gym shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Training Info and Photos

Vithawat is very much a drop in gym. Meaning, you drop in during the scheduled training times (7am-9am in the morning and 3pm-7:30pm in the afternoon) and you’ll get a full 5 rounds of pad work (following a warm up). The rest of the training routine will be tailored to your fitness and skill level.

I haven’t seen much clinching here, but if you would like to spar after you hit the bags and pads, one of the trainers will likely be more than happy to accommodate you.

He is a 2 time K1 world max champion (2004 & 2006), a WMC champion, an Omnoi stadium champion and a 2 time “Thai Fight” champion.

He has been involved in some highly publicized legal battles with his former management, but he’s now free to fight again and he’s set up a couple gyms of his own.

The first gym he built was in his hometown in Surin so he could train nearby his family. More recently, he set up a gym in Bangkok. Both of these gyms are open to foreigners who wish to train there.

Location

Bangkok is one of the top tourist destinations in the world while the gym up in Surin is in a very isolated location. You’ll certainly have more entertainment options during your downtime in Bangkok, but if you’re looking for the unique experience of training in the countryside, the gym in Surin may be an option.

Of the two gyms, I believe Buakaw spends more time at his home gym in Surin, but he’s constantly traveling, so make sure you check beforehand to make sure he’ll be there.

The gym in Bangkok on the other hand appears to have a bigger stable of fighters (grown fighters anyway), so even if Buakaw isn’t there, I would imagine you would still have high level guys to spar and clinch with.

Click here to view a map of both locations as well as the contact details if you’d like to get in touch with them for training.

Accommodation

If you’re planning on the gym in Surin, they offer a training, food and accommodation package (updated prices here). The Bangkok location doesn’t provide on-site accommodation, so you’d be expected to commute to the gym from your apartment or hotel for the sessions.

Training Info and Photos

The training times at both locations are similar. The morning session begins with a long run at 6am, then it’s back at the gym by 7 for shadow boxing, pad work, bag work etc. The afternoon session starts at 4pm and goes until 6pm.

As mentioned above, it looks as though the Bangkok location looks to have broader selection of Thai fighters available for sparring and clinching (not surprising considering that the top stadiums are located in Bangkok).

The RSM academy differs from a lot of the other gyms profiled on this site. It’s not a “camp” per say, and the owners are targeting a completely different segment of the market.

Typically in Thailand, the participants of Muay Thai tend to come from poor families and they turn to the sport as a way to provide for themselves.

Recently though, the sport has been growing in popularity and a lot of the “high so” (short for “high society”) Thai’s have become interested in their national sport as a way to get fit. The founders of the RSM academy identified this trend, and created a gym to service this demand.

Location

Considering the target demographic, the RSM academy is perfectly located in the affluent Thong Lor area in Bangkok. The cost of training isn’t cheap, but it comes with the territory (literally) as I’m sure the monthly rent isn’t cheap either.

The gym is located on the 3rd floor of a shopping center called “SeenSpace”, which is located on ThongLor 13. Click here for the exact address and a map to the gym

Since the gym is easily accessible from the Thong Lor sky train (BTS) station, the RSM academy is an option if you’re in the city and want a conveniently located gym you can access without having to deal with the frustrating Bangkok traffic.

Accommodation

As I mentioned above, this isn’t a “camp”, so they don’t have on-site accommodation available. However, since it’s located nearby a sky train station, you have a lot of options as the gym can be easily accessed as long as you’re living nearby a BTS station yourself.

Training Info and Photos

According to this write up on the gym from Mai at “MyMuayThai.com”, a large percentage of the customer base at RSM is female (which may not necessarily be a bad thing if you’re a single guy).

At the time of this writing (July 14th, 2013), they have a staff of 11 trainers. Included on the roster of trainers is Yasothorn Banchamek (former Rajadamnern and Thailand national champion) and Saichon Banchamek (Buakaw’s good friend and former trainer).

The training structure (and price) is dependent on which type of program you sign up for. This isn’t a typical “camp” format and there are a lot of variables. Click here for an overview of the timetable, prices and the different programs that they offer.

In 2009, the Kiat Yongyut gym moved locations and underwent an elaborate renovation; making it one of the nicest training camps in the country.

The renovation came as a result of the involvement of a 36 year old Australian businessman named Daniel Potter. Potter teamed up with Bangkok based businessman, Lervisit Yongyut, and they’ve merged their promotions (Top Rated and Yongyut) to create a great environment for their fighters to train.

Kiat Yongyut has produced some excellent fighters throughout the years, most notably, 3x Lumpinee and WMC champion, Nong Bee. At the time of this writing, Nong Bee is working as a trainer at the P. Silaphai gym in Chiang Mai.

A notable fighter that can be found training at the Top Rated facility on a daily basis is Petaek Kiatyongyut. Petaek has been fighting for nearly 2 decades now and he’s captured a Thailand national title in the 118lb weight class.

He has reached the top and earned the opportunity to fight for other prestigious titles during his career but unfortunately, he fell short on his 3 attempts at the Lumpinee title as well as his attempt for a title at Rajadamnern stadium.

There are usually about a dozen high level Muay Thai fighters training here at any given time; many of which have won regional titles in the past.

Since Daniel Potter is a Western boxing promoter, there are a few high level boxers training here as well. Most notably, a figher named Saddam who has compiled a perfect record in route to a WBC championship.

If you’re looking for a Muay Thai gym where you can improve your traditional boxing skills, the Top Rated gym may be a good option.

Location

The gym is located in the Talingchan district in Bangkok. The exact address is 168/58 Soi Chiyaphruek 3, Bangkhunnon-Talingchan road. Click here to view additional photos of the facility and to access the contact details for the gym.

Training Info and Photos

The morning session at Top Rated runs from 7am – 9:30am and the afternoon session runs from 2pm – 5pm (much earlier than most other gyms). The sessions start off with a long jog (up to 12km) and once back at the gym, the fighters do up to 7 rounds on the pads with one of the trainers (5 minutes per round) and follow that up with approximately 50 minutes of clinching. Sparring is emphasized more during the afternoon session.

As mentioned above, this would be a good gym to train at if you were looking to polish up your boxing skills in addition to developing your traditional Muay Thai.

The cost for training is 1000 baht per day and included in that price is your accommodation, food, scheduled training sessions and you’ll have access to the facilities at all times (weight room, sauna etc).

A couple fighters worth noting are Yodbuangarm and Norasing. At the time of this writing, Yodbuangarm is the latest Muay Thai instructor/fighter to be picked up by the Evolve MMA fight team based in Singapore. Yodbuangarm is both a Thailand and a Lumpinee stadium title holder and has fought (and beat) a who’s who list of top fighters.

Norasing is a 2x champion of Lumpinee stadium and he’s won the prestigious “best fighter” title awarded by Lumpinee stadium in 2006 and Thailand in 2007.

Location

Lukbanyai is conveniently located between the Sutthisan and Huay Kwang MRT stations. You can use the poseidon soapy massage parlor as a landmark to find the gym as it’s just down that road and to the left. You can ask one of the motorbike taxi drivers in the area to point you in the right direction (they should all know where it is).

Accommodation

You wouldn’t want to live at the gym, trust me – there’s a small body of water that runs along the far end of the gym that can really stink the place up. The good news though is that there’s plenty of accommodation options nearby.

Training Info & Photos

A lot of the past champions have moved on and now the gym is working on developing the next generation of fighters. Because of this, you may find that there’s a shortage of large fighters to spar and clinch with.

The gym is known to emphasize boxing and WBC intercontinental title holder Sanghiran is based out of the gym. If you’re looking for a Muay Thai gym with a good emphasis on Western boxing, Lukbanyai may be a gym to consider.

The drop in fee for a training session here is 400 baht. The monthly rate can be discussed in person if you enjoy the training and wish to make a longer commitment.

The standout fighters who are currently training in the gym are Aikpracha Meenayothin (WMC champion, Lumpinee champion, S-1 tournament champion and Thailand national champion).

Wanheng Meenayothin, who at the time of this writing, holds a traditional boxing record of 25-0 and two WBC boxing titles. His focus is mainly on Western boxing at the moment but when competing in Muay Thai, he earned a lumpinee title and the Thailand national title (both in the 105 pound weight class).

Number 1 ranked fighter in the 154 pound weight class at Rajadamnern stadium, Dernchonlek, also trains at the Meenayothin gym, as does Mondam Sor Weerapon, a 2x Thailand champion who won a lumpinee title earlier in the year (2013). Dentoranee Sor Weerapon, a former Thailand national champion trains here as well.

In simple terms, this gym is packed with top ranked fighters.

Location

To get to the Meenayothin gym, you can either take a taxi directly there (here is the address of the gym). Alternatively, if you want to spend less time in traffic, you can take the subway (MRT) and head to Phahon Yothin station. Right next to the Phahon Yothin station is the central Lat Phrao shopping mall. To get to the gym from the mall, it is approximately a 60 baht taxi fare. Just head straight down Phahon Yothin road until you reach soi 45 (just past a University), take a left and drive straight until you see the gym on your left hand side.

If you have any problems reaching the gym, you can call the gym directly @ 0812598584. They’re very friendly and will happily assist you and give the taxi driver directions.

Training Info & Photos

The training at Meenayothin is intense, but I’ve seen the odd beginner or two here and the management and the fighters are very welcome to all skill levels. Keep in mind though, the training regimen is intense and involves a 1 hour run at the nearby University track. A large portion of the run is done holding hand weights and another portion of the run involves sprinting up the bleachers.

Once back at the gym, the boxers who have a fight coming up will do their pad work (seven 4 minute rounds) and the boxers who don’t have a fight booked will complete the rounds on the heavy bags.

Once the pad work and/or bag work is completed, the boxers will clinch for 30-60 minutes (30 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the afternoon). Hard sparring occurs 3x per week and to close out the sessions, the boxers will do some strength and conditioning exercises.

Though the gym hasn’t had many foreigners come through to train, they welcome the idea. For drop in sessions, they charge the standard (good) rate of 300 baht per session or 500 baht for 2 sessions in 1 day. If you wanted an all-inclusive training, food and accommodation package, the rate is 1000 baht per day for a private air conditioned room or 900 baht per day for a shared air conditioned room. The prices include 2 meals.

The Rachanon Gym first opened up in 2002 and only recently have they been welcoming to foreigners who wish to train there. There are approximately 30 boxers who train there under the guidance of 5 trainers. Among the trainers is an ex-fighter named Wanchai, who was a WMC champion.

Rachanon won the prestigious “Muay Thai camp of the year” award in 2011. Among the stable of fighters at Rachanon are multiple top ranked fighters and title holders. Inseekhao was an Omnoi and channel 7 stadium champion, Design Rachanon recently won the Thailand title from Hongthonglek Chor Farpleansee and the superstar of the gym is F-16 Rachanon.

With the owner of the gym being a major in the Royal Thai Air Force, his “F-16” nickname is in reference to the F-16 fighting falcon aircraft and is to pay tribute to the air force. He captured the Lumpinee stadium title in 2011 with a won over Kongsak Sitboonmee and he won the Thailand national title in 2012.

Location

The Rachanon gym is located in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok right next to the military base. The gym is in the same district as the Poptheeratham gym and the fighters from each gym sometimes get together and do some inter-gym training. Here is a map (though it’s in Thai language) and here is the contact page for the gym.

Accommodation

The owner of the gym has recently outfitted a building near the camp with rooms specifically for the foreigners who wish to train here. They now offer packages that include training (2 sessions per day), food (2 meals per day I believe) and accommodation (price varies depending on whether you pick a room with air conditioning or a fan). Here is a list of the current prices.

Training Info & Photos

If you’re a beginner, Rachanon isn’t the ideal place for you. The training here is serious and best suited for advance trainees. The sessions start off with a run (10km in the mornings & 12km in the afternoons). Once back at the gym, the boxers will clinch for approximately 35 minutes and for the pad work, the rounds are 5 minutes long and you’ll get between 5-6 rounds with the trainer if you’re preparing for a fight. The morning session runs from 6am-9am and the afternoon session runs from 3pm-7pm.

Samranchai’s cousin, Sakmongkol, is currently ranked in the top 10 in the bantamweight class at Rajadamnern stadium. A fighter from the gym named Bangpleenoi is ranked number 2 in the 108lb weight class at Rajadamnern stadium as well (at the time of this writing).

The head trainer at 96 Penang is Kaisuwit Suan Kela Nongkhi. Kaisuwit is a former Rajadamnern champion who has won the prestigious “fighter of the year” and “trainer of the year” awards.

Location

The gym is located within the infamous Klong Toey slums and serves as a glimmer of hope for the young boxers that train here. Despite the location, accessing the gym is quite easy and can be done safely as well.

To get here, just take the MRT (subway) to the Klong Toey station and take a motorbike taxi directly to the gym. It will take between 5-10 minutes and will likely cost you 20-30 baht.

In my experience, regular taxi drivers had no idea where the gym was (as there’s not an address to go by) but the motorbike taxi drivers who were stationed in the area knew how to find it.

Accommodation

Given the location of the gym, you’re better off staying outside the camp and just commuting to training. The gym isn’t too far from the MRT station, which makes commuting there relatively easy from a lot of different areas in the city. There are plenty of accommodation options in central Bangkok, and around the MRT stations, so you can go apartment hunting when you arrive in Bangkok.

Training Info & Photos

The training sessions start at 3pm (from Monday-Saturday) and the cost per session is 300 baht (or 5700 baht for the month). I believe they have a morning sessions as well (though the details aren’t listed on their Facebook page) so you can discuss that with the trainers in person if you wanted to train 2x per day.

The session starts off with either a run or skipping. Following jogging/skipping, you’ll do some technique drills with a trainer to get yourself warmed up further. They do clinching before pads here (approximately 30 minutes), which is followed by pad work and bag work.

Once everyone is finished up on the pads, you can find a partner and do some sparring if you wish. The trainers here are very technical and pad work can be frustrating at times because you’ll constantly be stopped and corrected (which is a good thing).

Ilya Grad, Valdet Gashi, Leo Montero and several other top foreign fighters train out of the gym so you won’t have a hard time finding skilled training partners.

You don’t need to be a top fighter to train here though. The gym is accommodating to all skill levels from beginner to advanced and the theme of the gym is “White Collar Muay Thai” as the facilities are quite luxurious.

In addition to the Muay Thai training area, there’s a fully equipped fitness center, pool, sauna, jacuzzi and pretty high standard changing rooms.

Location

The Elite Fight Club Gym is located on the 10th floor of an upscale condominium complex called the Waterford Diamond Tower, which looks over the Thonglor and Phrom Pong areas of Sukhumvit Road in central Bangkok.

You can get to the gym via the sky train by getting off at either the Phrom Phong or Thong Lo stations (the condo where the gym is is located between the two stations).

Accommodation

Since the gym is centrally located and near the sky train stations, your options for accommodations are pretty vast. Just find an area you like and as long as its near a BTS station, getting to the gym for training will be easy. If you had it in your budget and you wanted to be close to the gym, I suppose you could look into renting a room at the Waterford Diamond Tower where the gym is located. Alternatively, the gym is now offering packages that include both training and accommodation from 18,000 baht per month.

Training Info & Photos

There are 2 sessions per day at Elite Fight Club. The morning session starts at 7am and consists of a run in Imperial Queens Park then it’s back to the gym to go over some techniques. I don’t believe the morning session consists of any pad work, sparring or clinching.

The afternoon session is scheduled from 3pm-5pm and consists of 3-5 rounds of bad work, 3 rounds of pad work with one of the trainers and then some more drills to learn technique. Sparring is done on Saturdays from 3pm-5pm and it’s done at about 75% speed and power.

The gym was started by Mr. Noi Wuttisopakorn who had a great reputation in the community for taking in underprivileged children and giving them the means to provide for themselves through the art of Muay Thai. After Noi’s passing, the management of the gym was taken over by his son and his daughter in law.

Since the inception of the gym, Lookprabat has produced 15 champions and among them they have captured 23 of the most prestigious titles (WMC, WBC, Lumpinee, Rajadamnern etc). The active fighters from the camp today are Pornsawan, Kaotam and Komphetlek Lookprabat.

Pornsawan has two Thailand national titles in 2 different weight classes, Kaotam has earned a Lumpinee stadium title and Komphetlek has won WBC and S1 titles. K1 star Pajonsuk (lumpinee stadium and WBC champion), who I believe now represents Superpro Samui, was also produced in the Lookprabat camp.

Location

Lookprabat is located in a small town called Pra Phuttabat in Saraburi province, which is approximately 100km from Bangkok. Someone from the gym will come and pick you up from the Bangkok airport if you’re staying for a month or more. There isn’t much to do in the area so don’t expect vibrant nightlife and or extensive dining or shopping options. This is a serious gym and the distraction free environment could perhaps be a positive for some fighters who would have a hard time staying focused otherwise.

Accommodation

In an effort to attract more foreigners, they have recently built new rooms at the camp. They have 8 rooms on-site and they’re meant to be shared (2 people per room) but if the gym isn’t busy and there are extra rooms available, you can get the room to yourself. The rooms are rented out as part of the training packages that they offer at the gym and the rates are listed here.

Training Info & Photos

Like most gyms, there are 2 training sessions per day at Lookprabat (they even do light training on Sundays, which is usually a rest day at most gyms). The morning session kicks off at 6:30am and the boxers go for a 10km run. Once back at the gym, it’s shadowboxing for about 10 minutes and then a couple long rounds (10 minutes) of pad work. Once you’re finished up on pads, you’ll just do some conditioning exercises and hit the bag until the session ends.

The afternoon session starts at around 4pm (sometimes earlier if it’s not too hot) and is a bit more intense. The jog isn’t as long, but the overall training session is more intense. Again, you’ll get 10 minute rounds on pads (couple rounds) and the main difference between the mornings and the afternoons is that in the afternoons you’ll be sparring and clinching.